Getting to Know: A Q&A with Botanica Naturals owner Denise Lynn on her downtown shop

Botanica Naturals owner Denise Lynn welcomes individuals into her store.

Botanica Naturals, owned by Denise Lynn, is an oasis of calm in the midst of the Watson Street business district. Clients can come into the shop for a relaxing facial or consult with her about skin care in general. The shop is the latest iteration of her beauty spa, which previously was located in Princeton.

Denise Lynn, owner of Botanica Naturals, specializes in facials, but also loves to help clients choose a skin care regimen that works for them. She has been an esthetician for more than 19 years.

Lynn has more than 19 years of experience as an esthetician, focusing on skin care, but she said she offers so much more at her boutique at 202 Watson St. She started her career in Chicago and spent 12 years there, followed by a year in Washington, D.C. Then, about nine years ago, she found her way to Montello due to her parents buying a home in the area and retiring near there.

Her family has been visiting the Lake Puckaway area since she was a little girl. With her family here in Wisconsin and her living in Chicago, she felt it was time to migrate northward.

Lynn moved her business to Princeton about six months before the onset of COVID-19. It was an interesting time, she said. She recently moved her business again, this time to Ripon and she sat down with the Commonwealth for a question-and-answer session.

Q What are your hopes for your new location?

A. My long-term goals and why I expanded my business into more retail is that I wanted a fallback for when I can’t be doing services anymore; in case there is an injury or an accident or something. My goal is to hone my skills and learn a lot and try to build a retail business in case something happens. But my first love is skin care. I was kind of a traditionalist for the first half of my career and then I finally found some other people who were into holistic esthetics and was able to dive deep into more of the health of the skin, versus just the side where people just went to get peels. Holistic means we’re looking at what happens in the gut, and lymphatic movement, and how everything is connected together. It’s not just slapping something on the face.

Q. What services do you offer at the shop?

A. I offer holistic facials, customized to each person, depending on what their skin is like, what they need, what the time of year is, their age, everything kind of comes together. I prefer 70 to 90 minutes for a facial. That’s usually what it takes to consult with the client, then do the facial itself. The store also offers herbal teas, body oil, lotions, herbal salves, candles, bath robes and lotions. Things that are useful and that make you feel good, like herbal hot chocolate.

Q. What do you look for when consulting with a client?

A. Things like what they are currently using; what their lifestyle is — outside a lot or mostly inside; what kind of heating system they have [a winter question]; what have they done in the past; are they scrubbing their face; using products that may be stripping their skin. A lot of it goes on instinct as well, where I talk to them and get a feeling and get a sense of where their skin is.

Q. What is your favorite thing about opening a store?

A. I like to help people.I love to help people pick out skin care. I love to do facials, but I really love when people love their skin because I’ve helped them pick something out that is helpful. You don’t have to get a facial to come in and talk about skin care. If you really need help with your skin, I will help.

Q. What is your business philosophy?

A. I use Laurel holistic products. It is a whole plant product and is my favorite product of my career and whole life. There is no comparison. It’s hard to convey that idea until someone uses it and sees the difference between it and the traditional products. I insist that my clients use only Laurel products.

Q. What are some of the challenges you face in your business?

A. Just doing everything on the business end, no safety net, no financial stability. If I could have someone to do those administrative things, that would be great.

Q. Any expansion plans for the near future?

A. No, not at present [time]. I do want to add more products to the store, some vintage items and things that will allow me to be a little more creative outside of my skin care.

Q. Do you have any guilty pleasures?

A. Yes, I love to cook. Also, people don’t know that I have ADHD, and it is hard to run a business with that condition. Conversely, if there are people out there with ADHD, I would love for them to come into my shop so we can talk about it. There are things I have that can benefit them.

Q. Anything you would like to add or let people know about?

A. Yes, since you are always putting your hands on people, it takes a lot of energy; it’s like you’re putting out a lot of energy — it can be very tiring. My core clientele, people that I treat on a regular basis, have a good energy exchange and they don’t drain me. It’s a cure that goes both ways.

Q. Do you have anything else you would like to add?

A. Please just come in the door. I see a lot of people outside looking into the shop, and I feel like they are thinking, “Oh, just another soap shop.” Just come inside and say “hello” and just know that I’m here to help you.

For more information call Denise Lynn at 920-745-0665 for an appointment or check out her Facebook page.

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